DogmomCA
Registered: 07/17/08
Posts: 6
|
|
|
Reply with quote | #1 |
Ok. So I don't really have a puppy. I have two dogs - a 4 yr old Border Collie Mix and a 1 yr old ShiTzu. My mix is awesome - a perfect lady! The ShiTzu on the other hand could be better. He is one year old and still potties in the house. I tried crate training him with no luck. If he is in his crate, he will potty in there too. I got him from a breeder when he was a puppy. I thought I followed all of the rules for housebreaking but obviously I was mistaken. Would neutering him help? I have resorted to potty pads which are hit or miss but I'd rather not have a doggy toilet in the middle of my living room! How do I get him to potty outside???? Help!!!!  |
| |
TrainerKatie
Moderator
Registered: 07/17/08
Posts: 4
|
|
|
Reply with quote | #2 |
Hi there! Thanks for joining our forum! I have a few quick questions for you about your situation:
First off, how big is the crate you've been using for your shih tzu? If the crate is too large, he knows he's able to potty in the crate and not have to lay in it, so there's no reason for him to hold it. The crate should only be large enough for him to stand up and turn around in - that way he's forced to lay in his potty if he goes in the crate and he'll be far more likely to hold it, since dogs typically do not like to mess where they sleep. Crating really is the most effective way to house train a dog as long as it's done properly. If he's left loose in the house, he can easily potty and then get away from the mess, so confining him to a proper size crate will eliminate that possibility.
Second, how long is he left alone during the day, either loose in the house or crated? Dogs typically can go 8 hours between potty breaks - anything longer than that you start to risk accidents AND health problems such as UTI's and bladder infections. Even the most reliably housebroken or crate trained dog will potty in the house or crate if they're forced to hold it for too long. If you work full-time and he's alone longer than 8 hours, I'd suggest trying to get home on your lunch break or looking into hiring a pet sitter or dog walker to come take him out in the middle of the day.
Do you have a yard for him to potty in, or does he need to potty on walks around the neighborhood? If you have a yard, I would suggest leashing him and taking him out to potty so that you can make sure he goes, and praising him HEAVILY when he does go potty outside. We want him to think that potty outside is the best thing he's ever done, so make a huge deal out of it when he does go outside. If he's just let out in the yard with no supervision, there's no reinforcement there for him that potty outside is the right thing to do.
When you're home with him, I would suggest either leashing him to you with something like a multi-function lead that you can wear, or setting up barriers such as baby gates so that he's always in your sight. That way you can catch him in the act of going potty in the house, correct him with a big "NO" and immediately take him outside. If he finishes going potty outside, then you lay on the heavy praise. Dogs think in very black and white or "cause and effect" terms, so the only way you can teach him that going potty in the house is bad is by catching him in the act - if you come home and yell at him for a mess he made 3 hours ago, he has no idea why you're upset and could very easily end up avoiding you altogether when you come home, since he thinks you're going to yell at him but doesn't associate you being upset with the potty accident from 3 hours ago.
Neutering can help with marking behaviors, but won't necessarily help with overall housebreaking if he's in too large a crate or left loose in the house where he can get away from his mess. We do recommend spaying and neutering to reduce the risk of certain health problems, so unless you plan on showing or breeding him, I would say have him neutered.
Hopefully these tips can help you successfully housebreak your little guy. Good luck!
__________________
Katie Earle
Senior Dog Trainer
Metropawlitan Dog
http://www.metropawlitandog.com
Check out videos of our star students at http://www.youtube.com/user/newmalmom |
| |
DogmomCA
Registered: 07/17/08
Posts: 6
|
|
|
Reply with quote | #3 |
Thanks for your response. The crate is not huge - but he can definitely do more than stand up and turn around. I think I would feel terribly guilty leaving him in such a small space for so long. I am gone 10 hours per day but I come home at lunch so the longest he is alone is 5 hours. Someone told me that if I put him in a space large enough for him to get away from his mess, then he would get used to being clean and then when I reintroduced the crate, he wouldn't want to potty in it because he got so used to being clean. What are your thoughts on this? Thanks!!!!!!!
|
| |
